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This Caprese tart recipe is perfect for easy lunches and fast dinners. Flaky puff pastry, mozzarella, roasted tomatoes and fresh basil? Yes please!
I made this tart a while ago when I had some friends coming over for lunch. I wanted to serve something light and easy and this tart was just the thing. The beauty of simple tarts like this is that everything can be prepped ahead of time and the tart can quickly be assembled and baked off before serving. It’s perfect for easy lunches or as a showstopping side dish at any gathering. (Can you just imagine this bad boy at your 4th of July party?!)
I don’t always use buffalo mozzarella/fior di latte (fresh mozzarella) and have often used the firmer stuff best used on pizza, etc. Fresh mozzarella makes this Caprese tart completely luscious but can be a mission to get hold of and adds a little more work. Because fresh mozzarella is stored in liquid, you need to make sure that the cheese is well-dried before adding it to the tart. If you don’t, the bottom of the tart will be super soggy and you won’t get that lovely crisp base.
My suggestion is to slice the cheese then dry each slice with a bit of kitchen towel to get rid of any excess moisture.
I served the Caprese tart with a simple green salad and it made such a lovely, relaxed lunch. Add a few bottles of chilled white wine for serious lunch goals.
Caprese tart with roasted tomatoes
Ingredients
for the roasted tomatoes
- 10 to matoes sliced into 1cm slices
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt flakes
- black pepper
for the tart
- 1 roll ready-made puff pastry, defrosted
- 200 g buffalo mozzarella/fior di latte sliced into 1/2 cm slices
- 1 egg beaten
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
- Place the sliced tomatoes on a non-stick baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven.
- Allow to roast for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and are caramelising around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Turn the oven down to 180°c.
- To make the tart, roll the pastry out a little thinner and place on a baking paper-lined baking sheet. Score around the edges to make a border, ensuring you don't cut through the pastry.
- Place the tomatoes and mozzarella on the pastry, alternating between the two.
- Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the tomatoes and mozzarella and season with salt & pepper.
- Place in the oven and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.
- Remove from the oven and top with the fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Caprese Panzanella salad
Caprese Mac and Cheese
This was absolutely delicious. It will be on full rotation at our house. Especially if I’m trying to impress someone. Roasting the tomatoes before hand makes all the difference. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks so much Andrea!
This is one of my favorite summer tarts Alida! I can’t wait to get some fresh Jersey tomatoes!
Mine too Mary Ann! Those Jersey tomatoes sound mighty good!
I made this lovely tart, but even after roasting the tomatoes there was so much liquid that the tart was really soggy (but still delicious)… Any advice would be appreciated!
That is very strange. Perhaps bake the tart until the pastry is cooked and then transfer to a wire rack and just allow the bottom to crisp up? Alternatively you can also put the tart in a baking sheet on the lowest shelf in your oven so that the base is close to the bottom element which should crisp up the pastry. It could also be that your oven isn’t really hot enough when you put the tart in so the pastry doesn’t get that immediately blast of heat?
It could be that your tomatoes are much juicier than mine but by roasting them they should have much less moisture. I like the idea of placing it on a wire rack!
I have a question, I made this recently and the flavour was gorgeous, however mozzarella is a very wet cheese and the juice ran everywhere making the base soggy 🙁 Do you have any idea how to stop this happening? As I would like to make it again. Is it a case that the oven needs to be hotter?
Sasha, firstly, perhaps allow your mozzarella to drain well before using it and blot it with a clean cloth to remove most of the moisture? Then yes, a very hot oven will definitely help a lot. Put your tray at the bottom of the oven so that heat hits the pastry and makes it nice and crisp.
Natalie, I would rather bake it at your destination if you can. I’m so scared that the base will be soggy and that will be a terrible disappointment.
Can I put it together and then bake later? I have to travel with it and want it hot but am worried that assembling it before may make it soggy?
Happy new year…I did it but it took much more time than 20 min…and the dough remained not well cooked and saggy…any hint why?
I can only imagine it’s because your oven isn’t as hot as mine. Your oven needs to be nice and hot before you put the tart in so that the base can crisp up and cook properly. Perhaps bake it for longer or turn your heat up a little?
Thank you,will try again and let you know
I made this today and the juice had everything soggy. I placed the tart onto a wire rack in the pan to raise the tart up out of juice. Worked beautifully.
I finally got around to trying this gorgeous tart. Just before serving I drizzled just a little Balsamic reduction over the top and it was AMAZING, served with a rocket salad…. New family favorite Thank you 🙂
Absolutely!
THis looks so yummy! Would really be good with a drizzle of balsamic reduction!
Looks delish!!!! Definitely trying it out!! http://www.voguecuisine.wordpress.com
I hope you both love this tart as much as I do!
I used Roma tomatoes.
Looks great! What type of tomatoe did you use?
This seems really easy to do and my bf is a nut for Caprese! I will definitely give this a go! Thank you!
-Aya
http://healthy-appetite.blogspot.de/
Thanks for the lovely compliment Dale!
Hello,
I don’t like many food blogs, but I do enjoy 2 of them. I really like yours and “Cooking With Mr. C.” on Facebook. Between the two of you, I get so many ideas.
Keep those recipes coming.
Dale
I agree!
I’m definitely going to have to try this. Perfect with the holidays coming.
Thanks Angie.
Annette, ek koop dit gewoonlik by Woolies.
My tweede boek is in November uit.
Hallo Alida,
Waar koop jy Buffalo / Fior di Latte kaas? Ek bly in Benoni, Oos-Rand en kry dit glad nie in die hande nie.
Wanneer is jou tweede resepte boek op die rak?
wow this looks so flaky and gorgeous with the colours and flavours!